Public safety officials warn Bay Area residents of the dangers of illegal fireworks

With the Fourth of July just around the corner population safety functionaries and healthcare workers are advising Bay Area residents to be aware of the dangers of illegal fireworks instead encouraging attendance at professional shows of both fireworks and drones Related Articles Fireworks parades and more planned for Fourth of July around the Bay Area Bay Area Fourth of July voyage traditions continue Packed traffic long airport lines Fireworks will light up this Fourth of July Next year could be different if tariff talks fizzle Meet the women who star-spangle Saratoga Village Keeping your pets safe happy during Fourth of July Every year over injuries occur from fireworks that are not condoned Santa Clara County Fire Chief Suwanna Kerdkaew commented at a news conference Tuesday That is a trauma that will stay with that person potentially for a lifetime So the way you mitigate that is through watching the fireworks display through a constituents source RELATED Seven missing after warehouse storing fireworks explodes in Yolo County California Gov Gavin Newsom urged Californians to have common sense and practice safety to help prevent wildfires sparked by fireworks in a announcement from his office In pounds of illegal fireworks have been seized across the state so far his office revealed Lt Kevin Weekes of the Santa Clara County Sheriff s Office explained Tuesday that the county has a zero-tolerance strategy for illegal fireworks and that enforcement action can include anything from confiscating the fireworks to being charged with misdemeanor or felony crimes He also warned residents to be careful with the safe and sane fireworks that are legal in a few parts of the county A collection of safe and sane fireworks and illegal fireworks are on display by Contra Costa County Fire Protection District during a press conference in Concord ahead of the th of July holiday in Jose Carlos Fajardo Bay Area News Group Accidents happen with safe and sane just like they do with the aerials and the illegal fireworks he declared Anything that gets shot up in the air is a huge safety danger to our citizens to our residents into our hillsides within our county so we take that very serious RELATED Fireworks parades and more planned for Fourth of July around the Bay Area Fireworks without the Office of the State Fire Marshal Safe and Sane seal are illegal across California and even devices that carry the seal are illegal in several counties across the state according to Newsom s office Safe and sane fireworks include those that do not fly into the air or explode such as sparklers torches smoke devices spinners and flitting sparklers under a quarter-inch in diameter or inches in length Bay Area cities where safe and sane fireworks are legal include Pacifica San Bruno Gilroy Union City Newark and Dublin according to a comment from San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa In Oakland fireworks displays are more of a nightly event than a single day s celebration in the weeks around the Fourth of July activity so widespread that it has sparked several vegetation fires in latest years city officers noted this week It is illegal to possess fireworks in Oakland but the city s law enforcement has struggled to contain the steady drumroll of mini-explosions that can be heard around town late into summer nights When the holiday arrives and the sun goes down the fireworks ring out from dozens of locations at once with aerial bursts seen for miles around As anyone knows who s been in Oakland for any amount of time July is one of our more treacherous days when it comes to fire safety city Fire Chief Damon Covington mentioned Monday at a news conference in the Oakland Hills Fireworks are fun and they look great but they really are a fire hazard Covington pleaded for the masses to hold off on private fireworks displays this year an appeal that carries particular significance in the hills where a firestorm killed people and consumed more than homes The press event Monday was held at a memorial garden built in the tragedy s aftermath Kerdkaew noted that fire season has begun and that once started wildfires can move incredibly hurriedly through receptive fuels All it takes for a fire to begin is one spark It does not take much to get a fire moving and ultimately fire doesn t care what it burns she stated It s just looking for a source to burn whether that s vegetation or a home that may possess somebody s properties of a lifetime that may or may not be replaceable for them Fire Marshal Chris Bachman a spokesperson for the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District revealed that even though the weather is not as hot as a year ago fireworks remain nearly as dangerous The district will again have more guidance available for the expected illegal fireworks displays just as they do each year A lone hot spot burns as Contra Costa Firefighters get a vegetation fire under control that was caused by illegal fireworks at a residence on Tomales Bay Drive during the Fourth of July celebrations in Pittsburg last year Jose Carlos Fajardo Bay Area News Group We have vegetation fires every year because of fireworks going off amid really dried-up grass and other vegetation he explained This year the conditions are no different Between a m and a m from July to last year Contra Costa were dispatched to fireworks-related incidents including wildfires exterior house fires and structure fires They also responded to three traumatic injuries caused by fireworks About of firework-related injuries occur in the week around July according to a release from the Santa Clara County Office of Communications and Residents Affairs The Santa Clara County Crisis Anatomical Function system is anticipating a to increase in calls on the Fourth revealed Michael Cabano assistant chief of the County of Santa Clara EMS Agency at a press conference RELATED South Bay man severely injured by wayward fireworks speaks out to prevent future disasters This is a message of prevention and safety as we don t want that holiday experience to end up with an admission or a visit to our burn center explained Dr Clifford Sheckter director of the Regional Burn Center at Santa Clara Valley Biological Center at the Monday press conference Sheckter revealed that the the bulk common injuries which include lost fingers outcome from explosives such as mortars He added that even safe and sane fireworks can cause injuries such as children accidentally lighting their clothes on fire with a sparkler There is no child who can safely manage a sparkler he commented All it takes is just resting it down at your side for a couple seconds and your child is on fire and then they re in the burn center fighting for their life for the next couple of months Canepa added that the noise of fireworks can be traumatic for veterans pets and wildlife Every year shelters fill with lost animals and veterans suffering from PTSD brace for a tough night Canepa mentioned We can do better by celebrating responsibly and showing compassion